Harbaugh hired – News conference highlights

NERVOUS, SCARED, CONFIDENT?: Said he was comfortable and said he has unshakable confidence.

HOW MUCH FACTOR WAS MONEY: Said he didn’t want to talk about money. Said the factor in being with the 49ers was that York and Baalke wanted him and that he’s excited about that.

INFLUENCE OF BEING A QB ON HIRE: Baalke said he had the chance to go to Stanford practices and games and he admired the way Harbaugh related to his quarterbacks.

WHAT CHANCES BAALKE MAKE: Said he will hire a personnel guy and that there will be some changes in the scouting department.

WHAT HE THOUGHT OF LUCK DECISION: Told Luck to do the best for himself and his family. Supported his decision. Said he has taken a lot from him. “From his mouth has come some extraordinary things.”

BAALKE’S TAKE ON MEETING: Said he was looking for the fit. Like the enthusiasm. Said he liked the passion. More than what he said, but how he came across. “He’s a ball coach” Baalke said.

DETAILS OF THE MEETING WITH 49ers: Said Baalke was the driving force of the meeting. Said Jed was there to talk about his vision. Said they were cool cucumbers.

Said he talked to Andrew Luck and the Stanford players through text. Said he was going to be right down the road.

ON WHAT STANFORD DID TO WOO HIM: Reiterated that he just wanted the NFL shot.

ON PLAYING PETE CARROLL: Said he was just excited about tonight’s work.

CHARACTERISTICS HE LOOKS FOR IN A QB: Accuracy, intelligence, decision-making. He said he could go on and on. Said it was more the most important position on the field and the most difficult position in sports.

QUARTERBACK QUESTION: Said he would talk to current players on the team first. Then check out the avenues to upgrade the position.

QUESTION ASKED ABOUT MOVING TO SANTA CLARA: “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Answered questions in football terms.

WHAT HE LEARNED THE LAST FEW DAYS: “If it’s on the internet, it’s true.” His first joke. Said he did a lot of homework and made a lot of phone calls. After that, he knew the 49ers were the choice.

HOW HE FEELS ABOUT COACHING AGAINST HIS BROTHER NEXT YEAR: He has talked to John about it. Said John told him the game could be the Thursday kickoff game for the league.

JUMPING TO NFL DURING NO LABOR AGREEMENT: “We’ll win at what we can win at each day.” He said any obstacles he will overcome.

THE HIRING PROCESS: Baalke said he encouraged Harbaugh to take his time to make his decision.

WALSH INFLUENCE: Has a picture of him on his computer screen. Met him as a player and at Stanford. Can’t put JH and Bill Walsh in the same sentence, Harbaugh said.

ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN GM AND COACH: The final say on roster will be with Baalke.

CAN HE OVERCOME COLLEGE COACH STIGMA: “I hope to be under estimated.” – Harbaugh. Baalke said he had no doubt that Harbaugh would succeed.

WHEN HE MADE THE DECISION: Through his six-hour meeting with York and Baalke.

WEST COAST OFFENSE: “We will be installing the West Coast offense in San Francisco, the birthplace of the West Coast offense.” – Harbaugh.

WHAT WERE LAST TWO DAYS LIKE: Hearing the vision from York and Baalke swayed him he said. “Losing is not an option.”

COACHING STAFF, WHO WILL TAKE FROM STANFORD: Won’t mention names until they sign contracts. Said will meld the two staffs, 49ers and Stanford.

WHY LEAVE STANFORD NOW: Perfect opportunity, at Stanford said they were signature years. Said he got married there and had two children. “The chance to compete at the highest level was overwhelming to me.”

Harbaugh said his first task will be to call and meet with players.

Baalke said he has known Harbaugh for seven years. Met him at a college all-star game. He liked his energy.

Music accompanied the intro to Jed York and GM Trent Baalke to start the Harbaugh news conference.

-The 49ers set up a conference call with Jim Harbaugh’s brother John at 4:45. John is the head coach of the Ravens.

-Ray Ratto said Harbaugh won some concessions on power over the roster and coaches. We’ll see what they say in the press conference.

-Stanford and Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming turned out to be out right. He said on KNBR that he wanted to be in the NFL. Somehow, Flemming knew more than Harbaugh’s brother John, who said he was going back to Stanford.

-Harbaugh apparently hired two agents, one to handle the pro side, David Dunn, and another Jack Bechta, on the college side, according to CSNBA’s Mindi Bach.

Here’s the 49ers release on Harbaugh:

Jim Harbaugh has been named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Widely regarded as one of the finest up-and-coming coaches in football, Harbaugh becomes the 18th head coach in 49ers history.

A 15-year NFL veteran quarterback, Harbaugh brings 17 years of coaching experience to San Francisco, which includes spending the last seven years as a head coach (58-27) in the collegiate ranks. He joins the 49ers after an impressive four-year stint as the head coach at Stanford University, where he guided the Cardinal football program to the biggest turnaround in school history over a four-year span.

Among Harbaugh’s many accomplishments while at Stanford were orchestrating two of the highest scoring teams in school history, three of the top four rushing teams in program history and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1995 and ’96. He also coached back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalists in running back Toby Gerhart and quarterback Andrew Luck.

As Stanford’s head coach, Harbaugh led the Cardinal to a 29-21 overall record, including a 20-6 record over the past two seasons. It was in stark contrast to the program he inherited in 2007, which had compiled a 16-40 record in the previous five seasons, including a 1-11 mark in 2006. After leading the Cardinal to records of 4-8 and 5-7 in his first two seasons, Harbaugh guided Stanford to an 8-5 overall mark and an appearance in the Sun Bowl in 2009, followed by a historic 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl win, in 2010.

Harbaugh fielded one of the greatest teams in Stanford football history in 2010, as the Cardinal posted a school record of 12 wins on the season, suffering its only setback to the Pac-10 champion Oregon Ducks. The Cardinal proceeded to win its final eight games of the season, which was capitalized by a 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the first Bowl Championship Series bowl appearance in school history.

The Cardinal offense set a school record with 524 points on the season, having scored 30-or-more points in all but one game, to finish the season ranked 9th nationally in points scored (40.3) and 14th nationally in total yards per game (472.5). Harbaugh played an instrumental role in developing Luck, who completed 70% of his passes for 3,338 yards and 32 touchdowns. Stanford’s ground game also proved productive as the team ranked 17th in the nation in rushing yards per game (213.8).

The team’s defensive unit was just as impressive, ranking 10th nationally in scoring defense (17.4). The Cardinal posted three shutouts on the year and finished ranked in the top-25 nationally in five defensive categories.

In 2009, Harbaugh was able to effectively transform the Cardinal into one of the most productive offensive units in the nation, as the team finished the season ranked 19th in total offense (427.6 yards per game), while setting single season records for total yards (5,559) and rushing yards (2,837). The year culminated in a trip to the Sun Bowl, a 31-27 loss to Oklahoma, marking the program’s first bowl appearance since the 2001 season.

Harbaugh came to Stanford from the University of San Diego, where he guided the Toreros to an impressive three-year overall record of 29-6 (.829), including back-to-back 11-1 seasons that netted a pair of Division I-AA Mid Major national titles in 2005 and 2006.

Prior to joining the University of San Diego, Harbaugh spent two seasons (2002-03) as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. In his first season, the Raiders posted an 11-5 regular season record, won the AFC Western Division title and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII.

Harbaugh laid the groundwork for his coaching career while he was still competing as a player in the NFL, serving as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach at Western Kentucky, where he worked with his father and Hilltoppers head coach Jack Harbaugh, from 1994-2001.

As a first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1987, Harbaugh played for five teams over 15 seasons, including the Chicago Bears (1987-93), Indianapolis Colts (1994-97), Baltimore Ravens (1998), San Diego Chargers (1999-2000) and Carolina Panthers (2001). He racked up 26,288 passing yards to go along with 129 touchdown passes, while completing 2,305-of-3,918 passes in 177 career games (140 starts). Harbaugh ranks in the NFL’s top-50 in two career passing categories – completions (41st) and pass attempts (45th).

Success is no stranger to Harbaugh. A product of nearby Palo Alto High School, he enjoyed a storied career at the University of Michigan, where he played for legendary coach Bo Schembechler and helped lead the Wolverines to two bowl appearances, garnering Big Ten Player of the Year honors.

Jim and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters, Addison and Katherine. Jim also has three children, Jay, James Jr. and Grace. He is the son of long-time college coach, Jack Harbaugh, the brother of Baltimore Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, and the brother-in-law of Indiana University Men’s Basketball head coach, Tom Crean.

Jim Harbaugh has been named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Widely regarded as one of the finest up-and-coming coaches in football, Harbaugh becomes the 18th head coach in 49ers history.

A 15-year NFL veteran quarterback, Harbaugh brings 17 years of coaching experience to San Francisco, which includes spending the last seven years as a head coach (58-27) in the collegiate ranks. He joins the 49ers after an impressive four-year stint as the head coach at Stanford University, where he guided the Cardinal football program to the biggest turnaround in school history over a four-year span.

Among Harbaugh’s many accomplishments while at Stanford were orchestrating two of the highest scoring teams in school history, three of the top four rushing teams in program history and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1995 and ’96. He also coached back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalists in running back Toby Gerhart and quarterback Andrew Luck.

As Stanford’s head coach, Harbaugh led the Cardinal to a 29-21 overall record, including a 20-6 record over the past two seasons. It was in stark contrast to the program he inherited in 2007, which had compiled a 16-40 record in the previous five seasons, including a 1-11 mark in 2006. After leading the Cardinal to records of 4-8 and 5-7 in his first two seasons, Harbaugh guided Stanford to an 8-5 overall mark and an appearance in the Sun Bowl in 2009, followed by a historic 12-1 season and an Orange Bowl win, in 2010.

Harbaugh fielded one of the greatest teams in Stanford football history in 2010, as the Cardinal posted a school record of 12 wins on the season, suffering its only setback to the Pac-10 champion Oregon Ducks. The Cardinal proceeded to win its final eight games of the season, which was capitalized by a 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the first Bowl Championship Series bowl appearance in school history.

The Cardinal offense set a school record with 524 points on the season, having scored 30-or-more points in all but one game, to finish the season ranked 9th nationally in points scored (40.3) and 14th nationally in total yards per game (472.5). Harbaugh played an instrumental role in developing Luck, who completed 70% of his passes for 3,338 yards and 32 touchdowns. Stanford’s ground game also proved productive as the team ranked 17th in the nation in rushing yards per game (213.8).

The team’s defensive unit was just as impressive, ranking 10th nationally in scoring defense (17.4). The Cardinal posted three shutouts on the year and finished ranked in the top-25 nationally in five defensive categories.

In 2009, Harbaugh was able to effectively transform the Cardinal into one of the most productive offensive units in the nation, as the team finished the season ranked 19th in total offense (427.6 yards per game), while setting single season records for total yards (5,559) and rushing yards (2,837). The year culminated in a trip to the Sun Bowl, a 31-27 loss to Oklahoma, marking the program’s first bowl appearance since the 2001 season.

Harbaugh came to Stanford from the University of San Diego, where he guided the Toreros to an impressive three-year overall record of 29-6 (.829), including back-to-back 11-1 seasons that netted a pair of Division I-AA Mid Major national titles in 2005 and 2006.

Prior to joining the University of San Diego, Harbaugh spent two seasons (2002-03) as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. In his first season, the Raiders posted an 11-5 regular season record, won the AFC Western Division title and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII.

Harbaugh laid the groundwork for his coaching career while he was still competing as a player in the NFL, serving as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach at Western Kentucky, where he worked with his father and Hilltoppers head coach Jack Harbaugh, from 1994-2001.

As a first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1987, Harbaugh played for five teams over 15 seasons, including the Chicago Bears (1987-93), Indianapolis Colts (1994-97), Baltimore Ravens (1998), San Diego Chargers (1999-2000) and Carolina Panthers (2001). He racked up 26,288 passing yards to go along with 129 touchdown passes, while completing 2,305-of-3,918 passes in 177 career games (140 starts). Harbaugh ranks in the NFL’s top-50 in two career passing categories – completions (41st) and pass attempts (45th).

Success is no stranger to Harbaugh. A product of nearby Palo Alto High School, he enjoyed a storied career at the University of Michigan, where he played for legendary coach Bo Schembechler and helped lead the Wolverines to two bowl appearances, garnering Big Ten Player of the Year honors.

Jim and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters, Addison and Katherine. Jim also has three children, Jay, James Jr. and Grace. He is the son of long-time college coach, Jack Harbaugh, the brother of Baltimore Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, and the brother-in-law of Indiana University Men’s Basketball head coach, Tom Crean.

49ERS DESERVE CREDIT

The 49ers should be applauded for the patience and even their tactics in landing their top choice for head coach. When the Dolphins swooped in to offer $7 million or $8 million per, the 49ers refused to match that outlandish amount, despite President Jed York’s insistence that money was no object. No first time NFL head coach without broad organizational powers should make the same as New England’s Super Bowl-winning Bill Belichick (he makes $7.2 million a year).

However, stepping up to pay Harbaugh $25 million for five years for the man they wanted was absolutely reasonable.